# Living on the High Seas **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 1, 2010, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/living-on-the-high-seas/545191 "2010-07-01T14:31:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![No\_Man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/91b2a8/32.png) [@No\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/No_Man)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2010, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/living-on-the-high-seas/545191/1 "2010-07-01T14:31:54Z")
If I sailed on my boat to international waters, could I earn my living growing cannabis and selling my crop to those in need? ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2010, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/living-on-the-high-seas/545191/2 "2010-07-01T14:35:36Z")
One important question: How are your customers going to reach you? Will someone else set up a ferry service between your boat and the mainland? How will your customers manage to clear customs when they reach the mainland? ETA: Well, that’s three questions, but they’re sort of related 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2010, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/living-on-the-high-seas/545191/3 "2010-07-01T14:35:56Z")
Do you have enough guns to ward off the pirates? Or, more importantly, the navies of respective countries who might be interested in shutting you down? You could scream about illegality all you want but who would you turn to? So no, I’m not aware of any controlling legal authority preventing that. But also no controlling legal authority preventing any world’s navy from attacking you and bringing you in for “justice” despite that doing so might violate international “law”. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2010, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/living-on-the-high-seas/545191/4 "2010-07-01T14:37:59Z")
You may not be in violation of any laws (or then again, you may), but there are some logistical problems. Having enough surface area to produce a sufficient amount of crop would be a challenge. If your customers can find you, so can pirates. ---
**Author:** ![No\_Man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/91b2a8/32.png) [@No\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/No_Man)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2010, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/living-on-the-high-seas/545191/5 "2010-07-01T14:53:19Z")
> [@Giles](#): > > One important question: How are your customers going to reach you? Will someone else set up a ferry service between your boat and the mainland? How will your customers manage to clear customs when they reach the mainland? > ETA: Well, that’s three questions, but they’re sort of related 🙂 I am living in a utopia, but aware of the laws. I would have cruise ships under the flag of a country who has legalized marijuana only stopping by my ganjaboat. The cruise ends when the ganja is finished. ---
**Author:** ![No\_Man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/91b2a8/32.png) [@No\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/No_Man)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2010, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/living-on-the-high-seas/545191/6 "2010-07-01T14:59:20Z")
> [@Ludovic](#): > > Do you have enough guns to ward off the pirates? I suppose an army of Rastafarians could easily be mobilized. The countries would have no jurisdiction out there. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2010, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/living-on-the-high-seas/545191/7 "2010-07-01T15:30:07Z")
> [@No\_Man](#): > > I suppose an army of Rastafarians could easily be mobilized. Mobilized? When, and from where? Raised I could see, but you either take said army with you from the get-go, or you have no army. Even with the army, you’re still vulnerable to pirates unless you can sink their ships before they sink yours. ---
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2010, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/living-on-the-high-seas/545191/8 "2010-07-01T16:19:44Z")
Countries that have a legal drug trade typically don’t like outsiders horning in on it. ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2010, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/living-on-the-high-seas/545191/9 "2010-07-01T18:08:46Z")
See what Cecil says: [In international waters, are you beyond the reach of the law? - The Straight Dope](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2250/in-international-waters-are-you-beyond-the-reach-of-the-law) Assuming your ganja boat flew the flag of a country that legalized it and had their permission to do so, then yes. But economically viable…I don’t think so. ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2010, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/living-on-the-high-seas/545191/10 "2010-07-01T18:12:46Z")
> [@No\_Man](#): > > I suppose an army of Rastafarians could easily be mobilized. The countries would have no jurisdiction out there. They’d smoke your stash before it could be sold 😃